


Rey with an E

by MercuryFire



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: 1800s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Anne of Green Gables - Freeform, Coming of Age, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual M rating, F/M, Growing Up Together, Multi, Period Typical Attitudes, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-07-27 16:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16223186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercuryFire/pseuds/MercuryFire
Summary: Maz Kanata and Chewbacca needed help running their farm, and had meant to adopt a boy named Ray. Instead they got a girl named 'Rey' and unfortunately for Ben Solo, she is determined to hate him forever.*the Anne of Green Gables AU that no one asked for, but everyone needed *





	1. Asylum

Jakku was said to be the hottest, dirtiest, province in the entire country of Adanac. Instead of grasslands and lakes, there was dust and sand. Instead of bustling towns and spiralling cities, there was decay, abandoned buildings, and even more sand. The weather and terrain of Jakku was often so horrible that very few people chose to live there, and the ones that did, often were not there willingly.

Rey had been six years old when she was abandoned on the steps of the Jakku Asylum for Unwanted Children. Like Jakku itself, the asylum was dirty, unkempt, and had absolutely no scope for the imagination. Most children there had been abandon as babies, and did not recollect their parents, but Rey was different.

“They’ll be back for me,” she confidently proclaimed daily, peering out of cracked windows. “They promised.”

Taking no notice of the concerned murmuring from the staff and wayward glances of the other children, she’d continued in that optimistic way for four more years, before the slow recognition of her abandonment had started to sink in.

“Get on with it, girl!” Unkar Plutt had shouted, tossing a broom at her. “Ain’t nobody coming back for a scrawny nobody like you.”

As the years slowly passed, Rey’s optimism and cheerfulness gave way to angry tears and the recognition that she would never truly belong to anyone. Her heart, she had realized, could hurt her in ways that made the bruises and scrapes left by Unkar Plutt, seem minimal. By the time she was twelve years old, Rey had decidedly hardened her heart; giving up all notions of ever being wanted by her family, or anyone in general, ever again.

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

Old Maz Kanata and her brother Chewbacca had lived on their farm in the province of Takodana for the entirety of their lives. It had been handed down through their family from generation to generation, and was the joy and focus of all the whole Kanata lineage. People from all over Takodana flocked to their farm in various seasons, because their homemade goods and crops were renowned throughout the entire province. However, since neither Maz nor Chewbacca had married, and now were both well into their sixties, they were struggling with the upkeep of the land.

“Chewbacca Kanata, you put that porg down! You’re going to be late!” Maz tutted from the front step of the worn, wooden green porch. “Luke Skywalker went to all of this trouble, and for what? So you can play with the birds? The train will almost be here!”

Giving the porg a resigned look, Chewbacca gently placed the creature on the ground, and grunted. Despite being a full foot and a half taller than his sister, arguing with her when she was worked up, was a battle he knew he was destined to lose. Picking up the basket at his feet, he headed off towards to carriage that was waiting at the front of the house.

What would this young boy that they adopted be like? Other than the asylum guaranteeing that he enjoyed working with his hands, and was spirited, they didn’t really have much information on young Ray. In his letter to Maz, Luke Skywalker had said that he had just turned thirteen the week previous, and had never left Jakku before, but that Unkar Plutt had assured him that Ray would be an excellent farmhand.

Luke Skywalker had been one of Chewbacca’s closest friends in University, and had been traveling across the country when he heard that the Kanata’s were looking to adopt. When he had been in Jakku, Luke had met Mr. Unkar Plutt, the owner of the local orphanage, at a saloon and was guaranteed that Ray was exactly what the Kanata’s were looking for. Luke did not meet Ray while in Jakku, but was confident in his choice, so neither Chewbacca nor Maz had questioned it. In truth, Chewbacca was excited, for he had always wanted children.

Maz tapped her foot irritably and crossed her arms. “I’ve packed you two lunches in that basket. Make sure to save one for Ray!”

Climbing into the carriage, Chewbacca smiled sheepishly at his sister. Would Ray have a large appetite like him? He hoped so. Once settled, he waved goodbye, and headed off towards the train station.


	2. Ben Solo is Confused

Rey was positive that Mr. Chewbacca Kanata was the most terrifying man that she had ever seen. He had long brown hair that fell past his shoulders, an even longer beard, and was well over six feet tall. His tanned skin and dark, dusty clothes, made him look like a villain from the storybooks that she had occasionally been allowed to read. He had arrived thirty minutes after her train had came into and then left Takodana station, and Rey had eagerly ran down the abandoned platform to meet him. The relief that she had felt upon realizing that someone _had_ come for her after all, that it had not been just a cruel trick, soon gave way to silent fear, as the large man approached her with a sour expression.

 Rey had been used to dealing with unkind and odd men at the asylum. She had woken up many times in the middle of the night to find them rifling through what little possessions she had, or in worse cases, staring at her in a peculiar way, and was no stranger to landing kicks and punches in places that would hurt. She had thought that Unkar Plutt was the worst of the lot, with his ugly bald head, spherical body, and greedy dark eyes- but now, as she stood stiffly under Mr. Kanata’s looming figure, she was not so sure.

 Unkar Plutt’s eyes, which had seemed to glow when he told her that she was being sent away to another province, seemed tame in comparison to Mr. Kanata’s dark and wary expression. Looking at him warily, she plucked up the courage to give him what she hoped was a smile, despite it feeling more like a grimace. This place had to be better than the asylum, she reasoned, and she was grateful to get away from Plutt... So she would make the best of an awkward situation.

 “Hello,” she started. “I’m Rey- from Jakku. You're Mr. Chewbacca Kanata?”

 He grunted what she could only guess was a yes, and titled his head, examining her thoughtfully. Now that he was closer, Rey supposed that his expression had not been one of anger, but of mild shock and what she hoped was a bit of curiosity. Encouraged that her first impression had been wrong, she extended her hand to him to shake. “I had thought for a moment that you had forgotten about me, or worse, that Unkar Plutt had been lying. Wouldn't have been the first time, y'know?”

 Chewbacca shook her hand slowly, and seeing his expression lighten to one of mild pleasantness, Rey excitedly continued: “I’ve always heard that Takodana is one of the most beautiful places in the world! I was so excited to come here that I didn’t sleep a wink last night! Unfortunately I fell asleep on the train ride here, even though it was the first train I’ve ever been on, and the conductor had to wake me up when we arrived. Have you ever ridden on a train before? The way it works is really amazing-”

 At her question, Chewbacca had found himself starting to smile, intrigued by the big inquisitive eyes that were peering up at him so imploringly. She was a tiny, slip of a girl, barely standing above his elbow, with shoulder length brown hair and a dirty gingham dress. She wore a small straw hat on her head, and had a very small carpenter bag at her feet. The exact opposite of the robust boy that he had been expecting. He was so shocked upon seeing her at first, that he had hid behind the platform for ten minutes. Eventually the station master approached him and said that yes, this was indeed ‘Rey’ from the Jakku asylum, and that she had been waiting twenty minutes already for him.

 Aside from Maz and the wife of his childhood best friend, Chewbacca had always tended to stay away from the female population. Not only did his demeanour often frighten the children from around town, he was not a talker, and did not care to struggle through the idle chit chat of the ladies.

 When he had been fifteen years old, he had been in an accident. One of his father’s horses had gotten spooked and trampled him, while he had been brushing it in the barn. He should not have survived, but Han, a boy who had been secretly hiding and living in his stables, had witnessed the whole thing, and rushed to get the doctor. They were able to mend his broken bones, but the damage to his throat and face had been more severe. Thankfully, he was able to eventually grow out his hair and beard to cover up the scarring, but his voice had been permanently damaged. From fifteen onward, he spoke mainly in grunts, nods and whispers, which most people, especially the ladies and children from Takodana, did not find appealing.

 Rey however, did not seem to mind his quiet nature. She had a lively -if not slightly wild- disposition, and the more she spoke, the more he was charmed by her. Despite the mistake that had clearly been made, he found himself unable to tell the poor creature that he had not come for her, but for R _a_ y- the boy. And he could not just leave the poor girl here! It would be dusk in a few hours and she had already had such a long journey- and despite the folly, it was not her fault. It was Luke Skywalker’s! However, he would leave that for Maz to sort out… He happily nodded that _yes_ , he had ridden on a train before, and she smiled wider, making the freckles on her cheeks stand out.

 “I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy looking out of the windows,” she said wistfully, wrapping her arms around herself. “When I woke up, I had thought for a moment that it was a dream, and that I was still in Jakku…”

As she continued to chatter, Chewbacca gestured to the carriage that was parked behind him on the opposite side of the street. Understanding that her new caretaker was not much of a talker, Rey lifted her one small bag, and started to happily jaunt down the street towards it. At the sight of the white and tan speckled horse that was attached to it, her face lit up. “Oh, I’ve always wanted to see a horse! Back in the asylum I’d tried to keep a mouse that I’d found under my bed, but Unkar Plutt found out and sadly set down traps the next day, saying that the only way he’d ever keep a mouse, was if he put it in my stew after he killed it.”

 At this brazen admission, her tall companion stopped walking, and stared at her. Rey noticed that this time, his dark eyes, that she had originally feared were cold, were filled with compassion. Walking up to the horse, he patted its head and gestured for her to come closer and do the same.

“BB,” he whispered, gesturing to the animal, as Rey placed her hand on the animals’ muzzle. Completely enchanted, the young girls eyes welled up in delight, for now she had made not one, but two friends today, which was more than she’d ever had before, and knew that although Mr. Kanata seemed tough, they were indeed kindred spirits at heart. She was a little odd herself, after all, and so she should have known better than to judged Mr. Kanata so harshly.

 “Hello BB,” Rey whispered. “ I'm very pleased to meet you.”

 As they started on their journey back to the farm, Chewbacca felt his heart lurch. This poor child had probably suffered immense loss in her life, and he was only going to add to it. She was such an enthusiastic girl, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t already starting to enjoy and get used to her company. He was not entirely sure what her life had been like in Jakku, he had never been there, but he assumed from the way she seemed so excited to be going home with him, she already preferred Takodana. Although it was the smallest of all the provinces in Adanac, and could probably fit inside her Jakku five times, he had always loved living here, and was secretly pleased that she seemed to enjoy the views as much as he did. As the carriage rounded another corner, Rey gasped in delight.

 “Oh my,” she exclaimed as she surveyed the vivid green valley and trees that spread out before them. “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole world!”

 Rey was completely captivated. She had heard that Takondana was beautiful, and had imagined what it would be like, but she had never expected any of _this_. In Jakku, there had been nothing. The sun had been the enemy, and it was often so hot that not many people dared to leave their homes unless it was absolutely necessary. Sand dunes and dust storms were the only views that greeted her every day; before arriving at the Takodana train station, she had never even seen a tree before, aside from pictures that were drawn into her storybooks. Now, as she looked at the splendor surrounding her, she found herself unable to imagine ever living anywhere else again. Secretly, she hoped that the farm would have a lake, for she had only ever heard of them before. Water had to be sourced from wells in Jakku, and the asylum didn’t have bathes because it was considered wasteful. When you needed to clean yourself, you used very little water and sponges, and only when permitted. She had always wondered what swimming would feel like…

 Rey was soon brought out of her thoughts by the feel of Mr. Kanata’s hand nudging her shoulder and motioning for her to look straight ahead- for there in the distance, lay Takodana farm, with its green roof perfectly lit up by a sunbeam. As they drew closer and approached the front gate, Rey was positive that she had never seen anything more beautiful in her entire life. She knew then, in her heart, that she had been meant to be here all along, and that at last, despite all of her hardships, she was finally home.

 “Chewbacca Kanata, who is this?” A small lady with large spectacles was making her way down the stone path, towards the carriage, and her expression was full of disbelief. “Where’s Ray?”

 “This _is_ Ray,” said Chewbacca, his raspy voice full of misery. 

 He nodded towards Rey then, who was startled by finally hearing her travel companion speak, and pulled out the documents she had given him on the carriage ride. Maz quickly grabbed them out of his hands and examined them closely.

_Rey of Jakku Asylum_

_Relinquished into the care of Miss Maz Kanata, and Mister Chewbacca Kanata._

_Parents Unknown_

_Born August 15th, 1860._

_Female_

 

“Rey!” exclaimed Maz. “Female! But we specifically told Luke that we needed a boy!”

“Well, the train brought  _her_. I checked with the station-master. And I had to bring her home. I couldn’t just leave her there, no matter what mistake Luke had made.”

“Never in all my life,” Maz grumbled, massaging the bridge of her nose with her hands. “Female! This is what we get for trusting Skywalker instead of going ourselves!”

Rey had remained quiet during the exchanges between Mr. Kanata and his sister, but as the meaning of their words slowly sank it, the joy she had felt upon arriving, gave way to horror. Face turning red, she angrily leapt up in the carriage, clutching her small carpenter bag to her chest.

"You don't want me!" she shrieked. “Plutt told you that I was a boy!”

Momentarily stunned by her horrified outburst, both Chewbacca and Maz froze, unsure of how to deal with the mortified girl in front of them. Finally Maz stepped forward.

“Calm down, child. Come inside, we’ll get this all sorted out in time.”

“I will not calm down!” Rey exclaimed, looking helplessly between the two. "I do things twice as well as any boy at the asylum! That's what everybody says- ask them!”

At her fiery response, Maz felt something akin to amusement and pity, well up inside of her. Luke had gotten them into an awful situation, but it wasn’t this poor wretch’s fault. Luke had guaranteed that the owner of the asylum had said 'Ray' was just the boy that they had been looking for... Now it was clear he had just been looking for an excuse to get rid of the girl. As she led the child to the house, she tried to be comforting. "Well, don't worry tonight child. We're not going to turn you out yet. You’re going to stay here until we examine this affair further. You can call me Maz. Come on, supper’s ready.”

At the mention of food, Rey perked up. In the Jakku asylum- in Jakku in general- food had been scarce, and she had hoarded it whenever she was given the chance. It had always made her feel better about things and helped to take her mind off of her loneliness. At least here, despite the misery, she could have some small comfort.

An hour later, after Rey had eaten her fill; three bowls of stew, and two slices of apple pie to be exact, Maz had shown her to her room. It had been decorated for a boy, Rey had realized miserably, but it was still the nicest place that she had ever been in. It was situated up the stairs to the right, above the front door of the house, and had plain beige walls, a single bed with a blue bedspread, and a long rectangular mirror in the left corner. Her favourite part however, was the large window in the center.

“I should have known it was too good to be true,” she sighed to herself, gazing forlornly at the beautiful outside world. “Plutt was right. No one would want a nobody like me.”

Rey, so lost in her melancholy thoughts, hadn’t noticed the lone figure slowly approaching the house, until it was coming through the gate and walking up the path. Curiosity piqued, she squinted and pressed her face closer to the window, trying to decipher who it was in the dying sunlight.

It was a boy- a very tall, lanky one. He had an awkward gait, like his leg’s were too long and he hadn’t quite figured out how to work them properly yet. He walked hunched over, with his hands stuffed into the grey pockets of his pants.

He must have felt her stare, for his pale face looked up at her then, and his dark eyes seemed to widen in surprise, as he was met her equally curious gaze.

Well, she wasn’t _that_ horrible looking, Rey thought indigently. Maybe a little skinny, and a little freckled, but not ugly enough to warrant the gaping look that this stranger was giving her.

 _Hmph,_ she thought, and stuck her tongue out at him. He looked even more surprised then, and after a beat, proceeded up the front steps of the porch. Rey comforted herself with the fact that although she was too skinny, his ears were definitely much too big for his head, and while she could change her appearance, he could do nothing to escape that tragic circumstance.

Hearing muffled voices, Rey quietly left her room and crept down the stairs, peeking through the bannisters. The stranger was looking at Maz with the same gaping look he had just given her.

“My uncle sent me to check up on everything,” she heard the stranger say.

“Well Ben,” Maz started, “Your uncle certainly has some explaining to do. The girl’s upstairs.”

“Girl- what girl?”

Rey bristled. So this big-eared Ben was disappointed that she wasn’t a boy, too? And it was apparently his uncle who had gotten her in this mess in the first place!

There were a few beats of silence after Maz explained everything, and Rey had hoped that maybe he was feeling sympathetic towards her sad circumstance, when much to her horror, Ben started to laugh. And not just a timid small laugh, no! Ben started to howl.

Rey, feeling her face heat up and tears start to come, barged back up stairs and slammed her door. Throwing herself down on the bed, she started to cry in earnest.

 _How dare he!_ How dare he _laugh_ at her on what was decidedly the saddest night of her life. She had thought she was to finally have a family after today… Finally after so much loneliness, she’d have somewhere to belong to. But no, it had all been a great joke. And that idiot downstairs thought so too.

Sitting up, she reached for her carpenter bag, and began to riffle through it. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled it out and peered into it. This small mirror had been the only thing that had ever really been hers, as they had found it on her after she had been abandoned at the asylum. It was cracked all over, and split her reflection into multiple reflections, but Rey had never loved an object more. It made her feel less alone, like she had actual siblings and friends to share things with.    

Giving her reflections a smile, she reassured them that no matter what Maz, or Mr. Kanata, or that horrid Ben thought, she was going to be alright. She had always been good at waiting, and if she had to wait a little bit longer to find her family, then that’s just what she would do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your kind words and kudos! This is my first fanfic, and I am really pleased that people are interested! It's going to be a slow burn, and eventually reach an M rating, way in the future. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought! Any guesses about future chapters or ideas? I'd love to hear!


	3. Rey meets Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My aunt says he got sent away from his parents’ house for being a delinquent,” Rose giggled. “His mom lives in Chandrila, where my sister is. He’s reverend Luke’s nephew which is the only reason he gets away with coming late.” 
> 
> Rey loudly seethed out, “Well that’s quite rude!” before being promptly shushed by Maz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been months... I fell and broke my fingers, then I got eye surgery. But now I can write again and I'm inspired. If there's anyone still reading this, I hope you enjoy :)

            Maz Kanata awoke early the next morning to the unexpected roar of wind and her tin roof rattling to the crackle of thunder in the distance. She groaned. Sadly, even the muggy August weather seemed to be mimicking the dreary events of the night before. Rey had angrily stomped away to her bedroom shortly after dinner, and hadn’t reappeared for the rest of the night. She could hear her sobs from the kitchen. Not that Maz could blame the girl for that. It was a terrible mixup and Maz had sat up by the living room fireplace for most of the night, weighed down by guilt. Her brother seemed to be of the same state of mind, and she could hear his heavy footsteps pacing above her into the wee hours of the morning.

 

What a sordid affair this whole mess was. Maz hadn’t meant to offend the girl, but they had been expecting a boy-  needed one- and Maz was often known for her bluntness. The farm had been in a state of ruin for the last few months and she had desperately needed someone who could help her aging brother fix things before they were beyond repair. Rey, while charming in her own right, had no part in that plan because the work was just too demanding. Especially for such a small, thin child. Still, sending her away seemed too cruel. Especially after she had travelled such a long way and had seemed so happy to be here. Jakku Asylum seemed like such a horrid place for a child and the farm definitely had room for more than two people.

 

Maz sighed. She was defeated. The farm was going to disintegrate like smoke before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She would probably be forced to sell it eventually. Despite her best efforts, everything was just refusing to go right.

 

Even J.J Binks, the part-time farmhand she had hired to help Chewie run things, had been a sore disappointment and had caused more damage than repairs. The dumb boy had even tripped carrying a basket of carrots and had managed to break the door of the coop were she kept the porgs early yesterday morning. Her poor young neighbour Finnegan, had to help chase and track the birds down the road for half of the day, as a result.

 

 Remembering the sad state of her porg coop, Maz’s eyes widened in horror. _Oh no._ Bolting upright and grabbing her dressing robe, she ran down the creaking old staircase to the back door.

 

Expecting the worst, she flung open the door and found-

 

Nothing.

 

The porgs weren’t blowing about in the rain and wreaking havoc around the garden. Her vegetables were safe and her sunflowers too. The rain hadn’t even begun yet. Even stranger, the door to the coop seemed to be in perfect working order. Maz could even see the large eyes peering out at her, safe and warm inside of their nests.

 

“I fixed it.”

 

Maz spun on her heels, finding Rey glumly staring at her from her seat at the kitchen table. “You what?”

 

“Fixed it,” Rey mumbled, kicking her foot against the leg of the table. “The wire was just snapped… Just needed to wind them around the gears and tie them.”

 

Maz blinked.

 

“I couldn’t sleep and then I heard the wind,” Rey twiddled her thumbs as she spoke, her voice quite as if she were admitting to a great sin. “We used to get dust storms in Jakku. I didn’t want them to be scared out in the open. I was just trying to help.”

 

“Oh.” Maz closed the door and sat herself slowly in the seat across from Rey. “Well thank you, child.” 

 

“S’okay,” Rey nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. “I’m used to fixing the doors and things at the asylum.”

 

Maz looked from the slouching girl to the ceiling and inhaled. She would probably live to regret this choice, but consequences be damned, her conscience wouldn’t allow her to turn the girl out again. “Well child, seems you have a knack for fixing things. Just so happens I have plenty that needs to be fixed.”

 

Rey’s eyes locked on Maz. “You mean… I can stay?”

 

“Well child,” Maz smirked, “You said you were better at fixing things than a boy, correct? I think it’s only fair if I allow you to prove it to me.”

 

“I do! I can!” As Rey’s smile lit up her entire face, Maz felt a smile of her own appear.

 

“Alright then. I expect you to work hard and do what I say. And I expect no lip from you.” Rey nodded eagerly in agreement. “You’ll go to church every Sunday with us and school once September starts.”

 

At this, Rey frowned. She had never known much about religion. “Isn’t today Sunday?”

 

“Sure is. We have about two hours before we need to head out. There are many people eager to meet you. Although they’re not quite aware that you are… you,” Maz tutted. “So I expect you to be on your best behaviour. And luckily for you, I think I have a dress that can be altered to fit you.”

 

**

 

 While Rey could hardly believe her good turn in fortune, the drive to the Church was more nerve wracking than waiting for Mr. Kanata to show up had been. Firstly, the sky was a dark, overcast grey that Rey had never seen before, and there was an occasional rumbling, that made the hairs on her neck stand on end. Also, Rey had never worn so many layers of clothes in her life. Decked out in a new beige dress, Rey fiddled nervously with her too long sleeves. While it was a plain dress and still too big, she hadn’t ever had an outfit so fine before and felt out of sorts. Maz, as she had been instructed to call her new guardian, had even put a white bow in her hair. Mr. Kanata, dressed up in a grey suit, had seemed happy to hear that she was staying once Maz told him, and kept smiling at her encouragingly as he drove them along in the carriage.

 

“Well Rey, I suppose that you’re eager to meet friends your own age?” Maz asked, fixing a pretty lace glove onto her left hand.

 

“I guess so.” Rey nervously clicked her worn black shoes together.

 

“You guess so?” Maz fixed her with a stern stare. “Don’t you know?”

 

Rey sighed. In truth, she hadn’t had a real live friend before— the children in Jakku either steered clear of her, or stole her things. And that had been if they stayed in the Asylum more than a few months. It had been safer to keep to herself. “I have mirror friends.”

 

“Mirror friends?” Maz repeated.

 

“Mirror friends,” Rey said, pulling out her small broken mirror that she had hidden in her right sleeve. “See? If I tilt it to the right there’s five of them.”

 

Unsure of how to proceed, Maz shared a concerned glance with her brother, who was suddenly driving much more rigidly. “Well Rey, I think it’ll be much better if you have friends your own age. Give it here.”

Rey warily placed the mirror into Maz’s gloved hand. At the girls glum expression, Maz softened.

 

“Don’t worry, child. I’ll give it back to you on our way home,” Maz said softer, placing the mirror into her white purse. “Now I had planned on introducing you to a few of the boys, but the situation being what it is… Benjamin and Finnegan won’t be suitable. However, Ms. Phasma, often sits beside us, and while she is quite serious, she has just taken guardianship of her niece who’s around your age. She has apparently been quite lonely since her sister got married and moved away to Chandrila…”

 

**

 

Walking inside of the pretty white Church was a daunting task. Rey could feel multiple eyes on her as they walked to the pews at the very front of the sanctuary. There were whispers, but neither Maz nor Mr. Kanata acted like they had heard them, so Rey walked a little straighter and stuck up her nose.

 

A thin blonde woman, dressed in the prettiest sky-blue dress that Rey had ever seen, smiled stiffly at Maz as they approached, and bowed her head in acknowledgement. “Ms. Kanata, Mr. Kanata. How lovely to see you both. And who is this?”

 

“Ms. Phasma,” Maz ducked her head in greeting, and put a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “This is Rey.”

Rey gulped. The way that Ms. Phasma was looking at her reminded her eerily of Unkar Plutt, and an uneasy feeling washed over her. “Hello.”

 

“Luke did mention that there had been a terrible mix-up, but I did not know whether or not I should believe him,” Ms. Phasma said, blonde eyebrows arching. “However, it seems that it was true.”

 

“Yes, we are quite pleased that Rey will be living with us now,” Maz responded firmly.

 

“Hm,” Ms. Phasma tutted, before turning her head and calling out in a stern voice, “Come here, Rose.”

 

Behind her, a short girl with raven black hair done up prettily in ribbons, cautiously approached.

 

“This,” Phasma began, pulling the raven-haired girl by her puffy purple sleeve and placing her in front of Rey, “is my niece, miss Rose Tico. Rose this is miss Rey, Ms. Kanata’s new ward.”

 

“Hello,” Rose whispered shyly, curtsying with the grace of a ballerina. Rey smiled back nervously and tried to mimic her movements.

 

“You will show her around, Rose, and get her aquatinted with everything,” Ms, Phasma stated, as Rose looked at the ground. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Good. Now let us take our seats. Rose you may sit next to Rey,” Ms. Phasma sat down first in the second row, followed closely by Rose, then Rey, and finally Maz and Mr. Kanata.

 

Reverend Luke Skywalker was a well-cut man with a greying beard and kind eyes. Despite being an animated and passionate speaker, Rey found herself unable to focus on his words. Instead, her attention was rudely drawn to the big eared boy who came ten minutes late and had the nerve to sit directly in front of her.

 

Noticing her reaction, Rose pulled her sleeve.

 

“That’s Benjamin Solo,” Rose whispered. “Lady Leia’s son.” Rey’s face reddened. _Lady_ Leia?

 

 “My aunt says he got sent away from his parents’ house for being a delinquent,” Rose giggled. “His mom lives in Chandrila, where my sister is. He’s reverend Luke’s nephew which is the only reason he gets away with coming late.”

 

Rey loudly seethed out, “Well that’s quite rude!” before being promptly shushed by Maz.

 

**

 

After the service, while Maz and Mr. Kanata were speaking to Reverend Luke in hushed voices, Rey was surprised to find herself walking under the grey sky outside, animatedly laughing with Rose.

 

The raven-haired girl was vastly different from her blonde, stuffy aunt. With a kind face and lively disposition once she got past her shyness, Rey found that Rose was quite funny, and was thrilled to make her acquaintance.

 

“My aunt says that I read too much. She seems stiff, but she is excited that I will now have you as a playmate,” Rose said and Rey smiled. “I’m awfully glad too, of course. There’s no other girls that live around my house, and it’s been so boring since my sister left.”

 

Rose’s face darkened and Rey found herself saddened for her. Rey reached for her hand. “Rest assured Rose, I will burn every book that falls into our path!” And was pleased to see the smaller girls forlorn look fade into an eventual smile.

 

“My aunt is holding a picnic next Sunday after church, you will come, right?” Rose pleaded. “It’ll be so boring if you don’t come!”

 

“If Maz lets me!” Rey was amazed. She had only ever heard of picnics in stories.

 

“Oh, wonderful!” Rose exclaimed, “the duck eggs on the lake have just hatched and they’re so cute- “

 

Rey froze. “I’ve never seen one before.”

 

“A duck?” Rose asked kindly.

 

“A lake,” Rey responded.

 

As Rose pondered this declaration, a loud crack rumbled across the sky, and at once, cold rain poured down onto the earth. Rose, like the rest of the people scattered outside, started to move towards the carriages. “Run Rey!” She giddily exclaimed, looking over her shoulder- expectant to find her new friend running with her. 

 

Rey however, was frozen.

 

Rose watched as Rey, seemingly entranced by the cold liquid, first raised her hands to clutch at the falling droplets, then after spinning around in glee, crashed clumsily into Benjamin Solo- sending them both down into a newly formed puddle of mud.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while now and finally got the courage to post it. Can I make this crazy AU work?! I hope you enjoyed!


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